Stablecoins are rapidly moving beyond the crypto market and gradually becoming part of the traditional financial system. Banks, payment services, and major tech companies are now seriously considering blockchain as a more convenient alternative to traditional bank transfers.
Previously, stablecoins were mainly needed by traders for transfers between exchanges, but now they are used for completely different tasks.
They are now being used for international transfers, settlements between companies, and corporate treasury management. Some companies are even testing automatic payments between devices and AI systems.
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Interest in this is growing largely because traditional bank transfers are still slow and expensive. International transactions can take several days, especially if multiple banks are involved in the chain.
According to a16z crypto, in just the first quarter of 2026, the volume of transfers in stablecoins reached $4.5 trillion.
And more and more of these operations are no longer related to crypto trading, but to regular payments and settlements.
Why Companies Are Increasingly Turning to Stablecoins
The main reason is simple — speed and lower transfer costs.
Financial platform Finzly notes that stablecoins enable international transfers with virtually no pauses, since settlements go directly through the blockchain and do not depend on banking hours or chains of intermediaries.
In Retail Banker International, it is also reported that stablecoins are gradually being used in regular commerce. Companies and merchants are increasingly testing blockchain-based settlements.
Major payment and technology companies are also trying to secure a place in this space.
According to Reuters, Visa continued to develop infrastructure for stablecoin settlements as recently as January.
The head of crypto at Visa, Cuy Sheffield, also noted that any such solutions must still remain compatible with the existing payment infrastructure and merchant ecosystem.
AI Agents Are Becoming a New Use Case
Tech companies are already starting to test stablecoins for settlements between AI systems.
The Block reports that Amazon Web Services, together with Coinbase and Stripe, is working on supporting payments in USDC for AI agents. The idea is that autonomous programs can independently conduct transactions without banking infrastructure.
As previously reported, the AWS AgentCore Payments system uses the open payment protocol x402. Settlements go through the Base network in about 200 milliseconds, and the cost of a single transaction is less than a fraction of a cent.
Major companies are already showing interest in this technology. Among the companies that are already interested in or testing this system are Warner Bros. Discovery, Cox Automotive, Thomson Reuters, and PGA TOUR.
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The IMF also believes that stablecoins have great potential. In the report Stablecoins and the Future of Payments for 2026, it is stated that such instruments can significantly simplify payments, especially in countries where banking infrastructure is underdeveloped.
Regulators Are Concerned About Pressure on National Currencies
The Bank for International Settlements believes that countries will have to coordinate rules for stablecoins more closely. Otherwise, companies will simply move to jurisdictions with fewer requirements.
Separately, BIS warns of another problem. If digital dollars become too popular, people in some countries may start using them more often than their own currency.
The IMF has also been talking about this for years. The first deputy managing director of the fund, Gita Gopinath, previously warned that for developing countries, this creates the risk of gradually displacing local banks and increasing dependence on the dollar.
Governments Are Betting on Regulation
At the same time, authorities are increasingly trying not to ban stablecoins, but to integrate them into the existing financial system through new rules.
In the US, the GENIUS Act was passed in 2025 for this purpose. It sets separate requirements for dollar stablecoins, including reserves, reporting, and compliance with financial regulations.
Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire recently told Reuters that a stablecoin pegged to the yuan could also appear in the coming years. In his opinion, China is capable of launching such a project within three to five years.
Although stablecoins still face many problems. Researchers regularly point to fraud risks, difficulties with refunding transfers, and questions about fund security.
But despite this, the market is increasingly seeing stablecoins not as part of crypto speculation, but as the foundation for a new internet payment infrastructure.
